proprietors. His own election for Westminster still continues, and he has recovered much ground within these three days, so that Sir Cecil Wray's majority of above 300 is reduced to 175.

The aspect in Ireland is cloudy; nay, has been stormy. The mob broke into the House of Commons, and insulted the members for not passing what is called the Protecting Duties, which your nephew must explain; but the rioters were suppressed and imprisonedreste à voir whether the Volunteers will not espouse the Protecting Duties, which might be very serious. I thought and said, that our India Bill was still more a bill for Ireland; meaning, that if lost, and the Ministry changed, I concluded the Irish would say, that it was not fit to be governed by a country that could not govern itself for six months together. It looks as if I had not been totally mistaken; nor shall I be, if France, whose whole eye is on India, should contrive to find us employment in Ireland. That Island is more à leur portée than America was. In short, the present reign may be painted in one sentence, which I found t'other day in Muratori's Annals of Italy: "Cento si richieggono ad edificare; un solo basta perdistruggere tutto." Adieu! Return me this letter.

LETTER CCCCXX.

Berkeley Square, April 29, 1784.

NEVER did more traverses happen in a law suit than befall poor Cavalier Mozzi! Three weeks ago Mr. Duane sent me the Cavalier's letter to Mr. Sharpe, with the handsome offer of 1000l., which I concluded my Lord would jump at; and I expected to hear, that, as soon as he could despatch an answer, I should have notice to settle the whole affair with the lawyers. No such summons arrived. Alas! the night before last I was told accidentally that Mr. Duane had a stroke of apoplexy! I immediately wrote to Mr. Sharpe to inquire he has this moment been with me, confirmed the melancholy story, adding, that he doubts much of Mr. Duane's recovery. However, he brought me my Lord's answer-satisfactory so far, as that he will close with the Cavalier's offer; but not at all content with it. No matter: the affair will at least be terminated, though neither side will be pleased. A little time, I suppose, will be wasted in waiting for the event of Mr. Duane's illness; and Lucas, as Mr. Sharpe said this morning, will not hurry himself a jot more than a snail: yet, whether poor Mr. Duane recovers or not, the matter will be adjusted; it might, no doubt, in a week, but I dare to say will not be finished in two months.

As I sent you all the news I knew by your nephew, I have none to add. Most elections are over; and, if they were not, neither you nor I care about such details. I have no notion of filling one's head

with circumstances of which, in six weeks, one is to discharge it for ever. Indeed, it is well that I live little in the world, or I should be obliged to provide myself with that viaticum for common conversation. Our ladies are grown such vehement politicians, that no other topic is admissible; nay, I do not know whether you must not learn our politics for the conversationi at Florence, at least, if Paris gives the ton to Italy, as it used to do. There are as warm parties for Mr. Fox or Mr. Pitt at Versailles and Amsterdam as in Westminster. At the first, I suppose, they exhale in epigrams; are expressed at the second by case-knives; at the last they vent themselves in deluges of satiric prints, though with no more wit than there is in a caseknife. I was told last night that our engraved pasquinades for this winter, at twelvepence or sixpence a-piece, would cost six or seven pounds.

Having written thus far, I received yours of the 9th, in which I find Cavalier Mozzi is anew displeased with Mr. Sharpe, whom indeed I do not understand. He told me to-day, as justifying my Lord's dissatisfaction, that he did think his Lordship was entitled to interest on interest on part of his demand; namely, on what Lady Orford had taken away from the seats in the country. This he had not intimated before; nor indeed does he now pretend that my Lord should have more than the 1000l. that he consents to take. For Sharpe's demand of the same allowance as he used to have from my Lady, it is extortion; as he certainly, by his own statement, has not been collecting rents since her death. In short, I can only recur to my old opinion, that Cavalier Mozzi should have come over himself: I could have given him advice here; but, being made referee for my Lord, I could not take part against him. I doubt I have gone to the utmost limits of decency and equity to protect Mozzi; and Lucas, I am persuaded, will have represented that delicacy in the worst light. I do not care; I will take no step to disculpate myself. I am only sorry that I could do no better for Mozzi: though I repeat it, he must in part blame himself for not coming to defend his own cause, which has given Sharpe and Lucas full elbow-room for plundering him;-and yet Sharpe blames, or pretends to blame, Lucas; and I must own in justice to the former, that more than once he did provoke the latter by his opposition. I hope that Mozzi gained so much by Lady Orford's favour, from what was not within reach of our legal harpies, that he will be much at his ease.

We do not know that Lady Charlotte Herbert is dead, though a letter received to-day represents her case as totally desperate. Though her father was forced to be acquainted with her danger, his return will be far from a consolation. We are not surprised at any extravagance in his Lordship's morals, though at his age; but much at his profligacy, counteracting his avarice. I will give you one instance of the latter. At Wilton he always recommends his port before his other wines, saying, "I can warrant the port good,. for I make it myself."

I am sorry to hear you are tormented with the rheumatism. I have had it in my shoulder, though not sharply, ever since last July, and prefer the gout to it. The latter goes at its period, and does not return for some time; but the rheumatism may depart to-day and come back to-morrow, or never leave one at all. Our winter has been doleful too, though less so than in many countries. Of spring there was not a symptom a fortnight ago, though commonly many trees and most shrubs are in full leaf by the end of April. I shall visit my Strawberry to-morrow, and hope at least to find the grass verdant. We are so pestered by robbers, that a month ago I thought they had stolen all the turf of my meadows. Good night! It is near one in the morning.

LETTER CCCCXXI.

Strawberry Hill, June 3, 1784. As I was told two days ago that Mr. Duane is recovered, and still, as I heard nothing from Lucas or Sharpe, I yesterday wrote to the latter, complaining of the continuation of delay, though all points are agreed and declaring I was ashamed of seeing Cavalier Mozzi so incessantly ill-treated. That night I found a letter on my table from Sharpe, not an answer to mine, which he could not have received; but one to tell me that he had the day before had a letter from the Cavalier, consenting to all their demands, and promising to send the necessary order on the following Saturday. Sharpe adds these words: "In the mean time Mr. Lucas and I have prepared a writing for the mutual discharge of all demands, which is now submitted to Mr. Duane's consideration."

Thus I suppose, at last, when all has been extorted that can be, those honest gentlemen will let the Cavalier receive his remaining pittance; though, no doubt, Lucas will not be very expeditious, if he can help it, for fear of breaking his good old custom of being dilatory.

Well! but a letter was not all I found from Sharpe; it was accompanied by a very large snuff-box, and a request to inquire of you whether any letter of advice was sent by you to any person, or the bill of lading signed by the captain of the Swedish ship, the Esperance, (the captain's name Lingdeen,) to whom was consigned, in January 1782, the portrait of Lord Clinton, by Vandyck, which, the Cavalier says, in April last was addressed to your nephew for my Lord, and of which my Lord has yet heard nothing more. Oh! but now comes the curious part! The snuff-box, which is a black tortoise-shell one, contains an uncommonly large enamel portrait, by Zincke, of Lady Orford, painted, I suppose, early for my brother Orford. The features are extremely like; the countenance not at all so on the neck 's a flaw from the furnace. If I was surprised at its being sent to ne, I was not less at its real destination. It was sent to me, says

Sharpe, by his Lordship, either to be forwarded to the Cavalier in return (for the Lord Clinton,) or to have it copied in oil to the size of life three quarters; but I know no hand," continues he, "that I think can do that to any advantage." He then asks my opinion; as it is supposed the Cavalier would prefer a portrait near to the size of life. A more absurd or indelicate thought never entered into the head of man; but, indeed, it is a madman's head! I did not reply, that I concluded the Cavalier, had he wished for a portrait of my Lady, might have obtained one from her, and could not wish for one painted fifty years ago. I did just hint, that it would be a very odd present from my Lord to the Cavalier, but said I did not presume to give advice that for a copy, the picture, which has no merit but in the excellence of the enamel, would make a woful appearance in oil; for it is in the plain barren manner of that time, totally void of ornament and grace. And so I sent it back to let the cabal decide, whose delicacy I doubt not will decide for sending the original; especially as a copy, or any other present, would cost a few guineas, which they had rather get for themselves. However, it became me to object to the impropriety of giving away his mother's picture, and to the person in the world to whom he should not send it-and there I shall leave it.

Your nephew, I depend upon it, has been with you some time, and satisfied you in all you could wish to know. The new Parliament, as the papers will have told you, and as the progress of the elections foretold, is decidedly with the Court.* Nothing extraordinary has passed there or any where else. The House of Commons is occupied by the Westminster election, and sat on it till six this morning; nor yet is it finished. You know, I cannot bear election contests, nor ever inform myself of their circumstances. In truth, I am very ignorant of what is passing. I have been settled here this fortnight, though two dreary wet days drove me to town; but I returned today, and shall stay here if the weather is tolerable, though London is brimful-but then it is brimful of balls, shows, breakfasts, and joys, to which my age says no, and my want of inclination a treble no. It is my felicity to have remembered how ridiculous I have formerly thought old people who forgot their own age when every body else did not; and it is lucky too that I feel no disposition that can lead me into absurdities. The present world might be my grandchildren; as they are not, I have nothing to do with them. I am glad they are amused, but neither envy nor wish to partake of their pleasures or their business. When one preserves one's senses and faculties, and suffers no pain, old age would be no grievance but for one; yet oh! that one is a heavy calamity-the surviving one's friends: nay, even the loss of one's contemporaries is something! at least, I cannot feel interested about a generation that I do not know.

I felt this very sensibly last week. I have no taste for, and scarce

*The Opposition moved an amendment to the Address, which was supported by only 114 votes against 282.

ever read, the pamphlets and political letters in the newspapers; but I cannot describe the avidity with which I devour a new publication. A nephew of Lord Melcombe's heir has published that Lord's diary. Indeed, it commences in 1749, and I grieve it was not dated twenty years earlier. However, it deals in topics that are ten times more familiar and fresh to my memory than any passage that has happened within these six months. I wish I could convey it to you. Though drawn by his own hand, and certainly meant to flatter himself, it is a truer portrait than any of his hirelings would have given. Never was such a composition of vanity, versatility, and servility! In short, there is but one feature wanting-his wit, of which in his whole book there are not three sallies. I often said of Lord Hervey and Doddington, that they were the only two I ever knew who were always aiming at wit, and yet generally found it. There is one light in which the book pleases me particularly; it fully justifies the unfavourable opinion I always had of the Duke of Newcastle and Mr. Pelham, and which was thought such heresy during their lives.

I have somehow or other made out a longer letter than I expected. My correspondence in summer has commonly been barren, and probably will not be luxuriant in this, though the Parliament will be sitting but I shall know no more than the newspapers tell me; and they are grown so communicative, that you may draw from the fountains, without my purloining a pitcher here and there to send you. Adieu!

LETTER CCCCXXII.

Strawberry Hill, July 8, 1784.

I HAVE delayed and delayed writing, in hopes of being able to send you the completion of Cavalier Mozzi's business; but at last I have lost my patience, as I suppose he has. Lucas is intolerable. I sent him word of it the moment I received the order on Mr. Hoare. Lucas desired to see a copy of it: I sent it. He said, Mr. Hoare must have it before he (Lucas) could withdraw the caveat: but Lucas had stayed sometime before he gave me that notice. I replied, I would deliver the order, if Mr. Hoare would engage to restore it to me, provided he, Lucas, should start any new difficulties; but would not part with it out of my hands till every thing was ready for conclusion: and I did express resentment at his endeavouring to represent me as the cause of the delay. I said, I had learned circumspection from him, and gave him plainly to understand that I would not trust him with the order; in which I believe I was very much in the right. He begged my pardon, and pretended to have had great difficulties in waiving his own scruples-I don't know

*It is generally named Doddington's Memoirs.